“Tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:7.
My aunt died recently and I was given the honor of leading ‘Celebration of Life’ service for this dear, godly woman. As I heard the news about her passing, it suddenly occurred to me that my aunt was the youngest child of my grandparents. Each of my grandparents’ three children died in their birth order. More importantly, I thought about the fact that an era had passed.
It doesn’t seem to matter how old you are, when your parents die, you feel like an orphan. Whether you are 15 or 50 you wonder, “What will I do now without mom and dad?” Now, my grandparents, parents and aunts and uncles from that side of the family were gone, with only memories to fall back on.
One wonders if the Israelites felt the same way as they crossed the Jordan River and entered the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The stones they gathered from the Jordan River became a memorial to remind them of God’s promises.
The stones the leaders of the twelve tribes gathered that day were far more than rocks. Each of those stones was a story. Stories of being held captive, abused and feeling abandoned by God. Stories of watching as, one by one, their parents and grandparents died in the wilderness. Stories of fear, confusion, doubt and grief.
As instructed, the leaders took those stones, those stories as it were, and made them into a monument. A monument to remind the Israelites and their children of the struggles in their past. But that pile of rocks meant one more thing that we must remember in our lives. That pile of stories spoke loudly and clearly the message that God delivers on His promises.
There will be times in our life when we are filled with grief, despair, confusion and anger. There will be times in our lives when we are under physical, emotional or spiritual attack. There will be times in our lives when we will feel completely abandoned by God. There will be times in our lives when we feel we have failed so badly that there is no hope.
That’s when each of us must look at those piles of stones and remind ourselves that God delivers on His promises. There was another ‘pile of stones’ that we look to for this reassurance. That “pile of stones,” so to speak, is called Golgotha. It held the cross of our Lord and Savior and reminds us once again, that God delivers on His promises.
Each of us is building a memorial for those behind us. May we be building stones of remembrance to lead our children and our children’s children to the promises of God’s deliverance through Jesus Christ. May they be able to say about us, that in spite of our failures and in spite of our shortcomings, we showed them the path of deliverance.
The ARC and at many other camps and retreat centers offer the opportunity to “come away and rest awhile.” It’s often during these times of solitude that we are able to step back and reflect on the stories of our own lives and re-energize ourselves to make a difference in the lives of those around us.
What stones of remembrance are you building for those coming behind you?
